Wednesday, July 3, 2013

If You Disappeared, Would The World Miss You?

Trent and I attended a memorial service a couple weekends ago for a young man named Seth who passed away suddenly. He was the oldest son of Trent's boss at Mission Waco and was the director of the Mission World portion of the organization. He was the brother of our friend Josh who we have gotten to know through Galveston Urban Ministries. There were so many people at the funeral that we were seated in a separate room with a television showing the service. But the folks honoring and remembering him were not confined to our city. There was a memorial service to be held in Ferrier, Haiti, the community where he lived and worked and ministered for some time. There are people in Philadelphia and Mexico City and India who mourn his loss, people he lived with, worked with and loved.

This young man made a difference in the world and the world will miss him.

The far reach of grief and celebration of life I have witnessed in these few weeks surrounding his passing got me to thinking about the potential impact we as Christians/living human beings can leave on this world...if we choose to.

If I disappeared, would the world miss me? If you disappeared, would the world miss you?

I don't just mean friends and family. Of course they would miss you. But how much further does the impact of your life go? How much further beyond friends and family does your love go? How far do you extend yourself beyond the four walls of your house or your business or your church?

Friends, let's endeavor to make an impact on the world for the short time that we are living in it. We don't have to be famous or well known. We don't have to travel the world. But we can choose to live a life, day in and day out, that loves others, serves others and therefore...changes the world.